Sheridan CO Water Restrictions 2026

Current water restrictions in Sheridan, Colorado

Sheridan is under Stage 1 Mandatory restrictions declared by Denver Water, limiting all outdoor irrigation to 2 assigned days per week, with watering only permitted before 10:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m.

Denver Water declared Stage 1 on March 25, 2026, triggering mandatory compliance across its entire service area — which includes the small enclave city of Sheridan, surrounded on all sides by Denver and Englewood. Sheridan does not operate its own municipal water system; it is fully served by Denver Water, meaning Denver Water's rules apply directly to every residential and commercial address in the city.

The trigger was severe drought across the South Platte Basin. Snowpack in the basin came in at 42% of normal — described by Denver Water as the worst on record — leaving Dillon Reservoir, Gross Reservoir, and the broader Denver Water system significantly below target storage levels heading into the irrigation season. Inflows from the Blue River and South Platte River tributaries that feed Denver Water's collection system have run well below average through early spring 2026.

Across Colorado's Front Range, the drought picture is severe. More than 20 municipalities are operating under mandatory schedules, Erie has declared a Level 4 Emergency with all outdoor irrigation prohibited, and Eagle River Water and Sanitation District is at Stage 3. Sheridan's Stage 1 status represents the lower end of a four-stage escalation ladder — but violations are enforceable today.

The restrictions are currently scheduled to remain in effect through October 1, 2026, though Denver Water may escalate to Stage 2 or higher if reservoir storage continues to decline. Denver Water is also finalizing drought surcharges for high outdoor water use that may take effect mid-season.

Practically: a Sheridan resident with an odd-numbered address cannot water their garden on a Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. — Wednesday is one of their two assigned days, but 9:00 a.m. falls within the prohibited 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. window. They could water Wednesday before 10:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m.

When can you water in Sheridan?

Your assigned watering days are determined by the last digit of your street address number. If your Sheridan address ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8, you are on the even schedule: Sunday and Thursday. If it ends in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9, you are on the odd schedule: Wednesday and Saturday. Denver Water maintains an address lookup tool at denverwater.org/your-water/water-restrictions where you can confirm your specific assignment.

Multi-family buildings and HOA-managed common areas — including the shared turf and landscaping found in several of Sheridan's townhome developments along West Hampden Avenue — are assigned Tuesday and Friday regardless of address number. If your HOA's irrigation controller waters on a Wednesday, that is a violation. Property managers should verify that all shared system timers have been updated to reflect the Tuesday/Friday schedule.

New sod installations are discouraged during Stage 1, but Denver Water does allow a limited establishment window if you register in advance. Given the current record drought conditions, delaying new turf installation until restrictions are lifted is strongly advisable. For trees already in the ground, plains cottonwoods, honeylocusts, and green ash trees — all common in Sheridan's older residential neighborhoods and parkway strips — are under notable stress this season and should receive priority during your two permitted watering windows, directed at the root zone rather than surrounding turf.

Penalty schedule for water violations

Denver Water enforces restrictions primarily through its AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) smart meter network, which covers the vast majority of meters in the service area including Sheridan. These meters transmit hourly usage data, allowing Denver Water analysts to flag accounts that show significant irrigation consumption on non-assigned days or during the prohibited midday window. Enforcement staff also conduct field patrols and respond to neighbor complaints submitted through the Denver Water website or by calling 303-893-2444. Response time on complaint-based reports is typically within one to three business days during peak irrigation season.

If you believe a violation notice was issued in error — for example, if a smart meter flagged drip irrigation or hand watering that is actually exempt — Denver Water does have an appeals process. Contact their customer service line at 303-893-2444 or submit a written request through your online account portal. Document your exempt irrigation method with photos and any installation receipts. First-offense warning letters carry no fine, so the practical risk on an initial procedural dispute is low, but second-offense $250 fines are worth contesting promptly if you have grounds.

Other outdoor water rules

Stage 1 restrictions extend beyond scheduled lawn irrigation. The following rules apply to all Denver Water customers in Sheridan:

• Car washing: Permitted only with a hand-held hose equipped with a self-closing nozzle, or at a commercial car wash that recycles water. Letting a hose run unattended is prohibited.
• Pressure washing: Allowed for health and safety purposes (removing mold, preparing a surface for painting) but not for routine aesthetic cleaning of driveways or sidewalks.
• Pool and hot tub filling: Initial fills for new pools are discouraged; topping off existing pools to compensate for evaporation is permitted but should be minimized. Pools must have covers to reduce evaporation loss.
• Ornamental fountains and water features: Must be equipped with recirculating pumps. Single-pass decorative water features that drain to the sewer are prohibited.
• Landscape misters and evaporative coolers: Evaporative (swamp) coolers — common in Sheridan's older housing stock — may continue operating normally. Outdoor misters used solely for cooling are permitted.
• Construction water: Dust suppression and concrete curing uses require prior coordination with Denver Water; decorative or non-essential construction water use is restricted.
• Restaurant outdoor water service: Water may only be served to customers upon request — this is a Stage 1 requirement across the Denver Water system.

Where Sheridan's water comes from

Sheridan's water is supplied entirely by Denver Water, one of the largest municipal water utilities in the Rocky Mountain West. Because Sheridan operates as a Denver Water customer rather than running its own treatment infrastructure, its supply is directly tied to Denver Water's collection and distribution system.

Denver Water draws from two primary collection systems. The South Platte system captures runoff from the South Platte River basin, storing it in Cheesman Reservoir, Marston Reservoir, and Chatfield Reservoir in the southern metro. The Blue River system — Denver Water's largest and most critical — collects transmountain diversion water from the Western Slope through the Roberts Tunnel, storing it primarily in Dillon Reservoir in Summit County. Dillon alone holds roughly 254,000 acre-feet when full and is the anchor of Denver Water's storage portfolio.

Additional storage exists at Gross Reservoir in Boulder County, which is currently undergoing a major expansion project to increase capacity from approximately 41,000 to 119,000 acre-feet — a project that will not be complete until the late 2020s, meaning current supply constraints are real. Water is treated at Denver Water's Moffat Treatment Plant (handling Blue River system water) and the Marston Treatment Plant (handling South Platte system water) before distribution through the metro grid that reaches Sheridan.

The 2026 drought crisis is rooted in critically low snowpack across the Colorado Rockies. At 42% of normal in the South Platte Basin — described by Denver Water as the worst on record — runoff into the collection reservoirs has been dramatically below projections. Dillon Reservoir storage entering the 2026 irrigation season is well below the historical median, and inflows from the Blue River and its tributaries have not recovered sufficiently to replenish the shortfall from the previous dry year.

Can your HOA fine you for a brown lawn?

Colorado Revised Statute § 37-60-126 protects Sheridan homeowners from HOA fines or penalties for having a brown, dormant, or under-watered lawn during a declared drought or water shortage. Specifically, an HOA in Colorado cannot enforce landscaping maintenance standards in a way that requires a homeowner to violate a mandatory water restriction order. Denver Water's Stage 1 Mandatory restrictions qualify as such an order.

This protection is meaningful in Sheridan, where several planned unit developments and townhome communities along South Elati Street and West Oxford Avenue operate under HOA covenants that typically require maintained turf. If your lawn turns brown this summer as a direct result of complying with the 2-day-per-week Denver Water schedule, your HOA cannot legally fine you for that condition under Colorado law. The protection applies as long as the mandatory restriction order remains active — currently through October 1, 2026.

If you receive an HOA violation notice for lawn appearance during the restriction period, use the following as a template response:

"This notice is to advise the HOA board that the condition of my lawn is a direct result of compliance with the Stage 1 Mandatory water restrictions declared by Denver Water on March 25, 2026, and currently in effect through October 1, 2026. Under Colorado Revised Statute § 37-60-126, a homeowner's association may not impose fines or penalties for landscape conditions resulting from compliance with a mandatory water restriction order issued by a water provider. I am complying fully with my assigned watering schedule. I respectfully request that this violation notice be rescinded. If you have questions, Denver Water can be reached at 303-893-2444."

How to manage your lawn during drought

Sheridan sits at approximately 5,200 feet elevation on the south Denver metro plain, with cool winters, hot summers, and low humidity — a climate that supports cool-season and some native warm-season grasses. Only the following grass types are relevant to Sheridan lawns:

Kentucky Bluegrass — the most common lawn grass in Sheridan's residential neighborhoods — is the highest-risk grass under Stage 1 restrictions at this elevation. At Sheridan's altitude, summer evapotranspiration rates are significant, and bluegrass needs roughly 1.5 to 2 inches of water per week to stay green. Two days per week of deep, early-morning irrigation (before 10:00 a.m.) can maintain bluegrass if each session runs long enough to deliver 0.75 to 1 inch per watering. Raise mowing height to at least 3.5 inches immediately — taller grass shades the soil, reduces evaporation, and extends the time between stress damage. Avoid fertilizing with high-nitrogen products during restrictions; pushing growth increases water demand.

Denver Water's Xeriscape Incentive Program offers rebates for converting bluegrass turf to drought-tolerant landscaping — and Stage 1 conditions are exactly the scenario those rebates were designed for. Buffalograss and Blue Grama are native to the Front Range and can survive on natural precipitation alone once established. If you are considering replacing a water-intensive bluegrass lawn this season, contact Denver Water before breaking ground to confirm current rebate amounts and whether new plantings qualify for an establishment watering exemption during Stage 1.

Questions residents are asking

What days can I water at my Sheridan address?

It depends on your street address number. If the number is even (ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8), your assigned days are Sunday and Thursday. If it is odd (ends in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9), your days are Wednesday and Saturday. Watering is only permitted before 10:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. on those days. Confirm your assignment using the address lookup at denverwater.org/your-water/water-restrictions or by calling Denver Water at 303-893-2444.

Can I water my vegetable garden on a non-assigned day?

Yes — with conditions. Hand watering with a shut-off nozzle and drip irrigation or soaker hoses are both exempt from the two-day schedule restriction under Stage 1. You may use either method any day of the week. What you cannot do is use a sprinkler system or any unattended, pressurized spray system on an off-schedule day, even for a vegetable bed.

Does Denver Water use smart meters to detect violations in Sheridan?

Yes. Denver Water has deployed Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) throughout its service area, including Sheridan. These meters report hourly consumption data back to Denver Water automatically. Analysts can identify accounts showing high outdoor water use on non-assigned days or during the 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. prohibited window without sending a field inspector. Field patrols supplement the data, and neighbor complaints are investigated, but the smart meter network is the primary detection method.

What turf replacement rebates does Denver Water offer right now?

Denver Water's Xeriscape Incentive Program pays rebates per square foot of grass removed and replaced with approved drought-tolerant landscaping — native plants, mulched beds, permeable hardscape, or low-water groundcovers. Rebate rates and per-household caps are subject to program-year funding; contact Denver Water at 303-893-2444 or visit denverwater.org to confirm current amounts. Separately, Denver Water has historically offered rebates for smart irrigation controllers (weather-based timers) that automatically skip or reduce watering based on rainfall and evapotranspiration data — worth installing regardless of the rebate status to avoid accidental violations.

My HOA is threatening to fine me for a brown lawn. Is that legal?

No. Under Colorado Revised Statute § 37-60-126, an HOA cannot penalize a homeowner for landscape conditions that result directly from compliance with a mandatory water restriction order. Denver Water's Stage 1 Mandatory declaration qualifies. Document your compliance (screenshot your assigned schedule, note your watering dates) and send the HOA a written response citing the statute and the March 25, 2026 Stage 1 declaration. See the template letter in the HOA section above.

Will restrictions escalate beyond Stage 1 this season?

Possibly. Denver Water's Stage 1 declaration on March 25, 2026, was triggered by South Platte Basin snowpack at 42% of normal — the worst on record. If Dillon Reservoir and system-wide storage continue to decline through summer, Denver Water is authorized to declare Stage 2, which historically reduces outdoor irrigation to one day per week and adds further prohibitions. Denver Water updates its drought status page at denverwater.org and issues customer notifications when escalation is being considered. Given conditions across the Front Range — with Erie already at Level 4 Emergency — monitoring for escalation notices is advisable.

Can I fill my pool or hot tub this summer?

Topping off an existing pool to replace evaporation loss is permitted under Stage 1. Full initial fills for newly constructed pools are strongly discouraged, and Denver Water may restrict them under Stage 2 or higher. Keep a pool cover on whenever the pool is not in use — uncovered pools in the Denver metro lose roughly a quarter-inch of water per day to evaporation during summer, adding up to thousands of gallons over a season. Commercial pool operators should contact Denver Water directly for guidance on large-volume fill requests.

Are there drought surcharges on my Denver Water bill this year?

Denver Water is in the process of finalizing drought surcharges for high outdoor water use, which may take effect mid-season 2026. These surcharges would apply to accounts exceeding a set consumption threshold during the restriction period — effectively a financial penalty layered on top of any enforcement fines for schedule violations. Final rates and thresholds had not been published as of the Stage 1 declaration. Watch for a bill insert or email from Denver Water, and check denverwater.org for the official announcement. Customers who stay within their two assigned watering days and use efficient irrigation methods are least likely to trigger surcharge thresholds.

What time can I water in Sheridan?

Watering is allowed Before 10:00 a.m. and After 6:00 p.m.. Watering outside these hours is a violation even on your assigned day.

When will water restrictions end in Sheridan?

Current Stage 1 Mandatory — Denver Water Service Area restrictions are in effect through October 1, 2026. Monitor https://www.denverwater.org/your-water/water-restrictions for the latest status.